Gullit demands ‘players with balls’ after ‘garbage’ Arsenal v Chelsea match; PL boss has Gunners dig | OneFootball

Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit insists he has “decided to stop watching football” after Arsenal and Chelsea produced “an absolute garbage match of football”.

All three goals on Sunday were scored from set-pieces as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Premier League to keep their title hopes in their own hands.

Arsenal are currently five points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand and also face the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium in April, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking to end a run of three consecutive second-placed finishes by winning the title.

The Gunners, who are being tipped to ‘bottle’ the Premier League title by many, have also come in for criticism over their playing style and lack of goals from open play compared to set-piece goals.

And watching Arsenal beat Chelsea was the final straw for former Premier League player and manager Gullit, who described football nowadays as “absolutely horrible”.

Gullit said on Ziggo Sport’s Rondo show: “I have decided to stop watching football. I don’t enjoy our sport anymore. I watched Arsenal vs Chelsea, what an absolute garbage match of football!

“I see players trying to create corner kicks, trying to create throw-ins, I see ball boys ready to give towels to the players. Football has become absolutely horrible. I hope that this is not the path we are heading at.

“I am waiting for players who will take on defenders again, someone like Lamine Yamal. I am missing the joy! I just don’t enjoy football anymore.

“Everyone is executing tasks on the pitch. Where are the players dribbling? Where are the players with balls? Why is everyone passing? Passing! Passing! Passing!”

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has suggested that major rules changes are required to curb time-wasting tactics from Arsenal and other clubs.

On the time it takes Arsenal to take set-pieces, which is more than any other side in the Premier League, Hurzeler told reporters: “It disturbs the rhythm of the game and there are no clear rules any more, how much time you can spend for a corner, how much time you can spend for a throw-in.

“Some of the blockings or the way teams are blocking, there is no clear rule. Sometimes the referee whistles and it’s a foul, sometimes he doesn’t whistle.

“I think that’s why we have this topic at the moment, but for me the main topic is make a clear rule for how much time you can waste for a corner, for a throw-in, for a free-kick.”

Hurzeler added: “No-one recognises it, but when Arsenal have a corner and they are leading, sometimes they spend over a minute just to take a corner.

“Therefore we just have to make clear rules, because then in the end we have a natural game time of 50 minutes instead of sometimes 65 minutes.

“The game is changing so much if you don’t have natural game time for all the games. We analyse it and the difference is just massive.

“I am of the opinion that every supporter who pays a lot of money to watch our games should see the same natural game time. They want to see a football event, they don’t want to see maybe 50 minutes a game and for 40 minutes it’s not running.

“We won’t change these rules immediately, so we know how important set pieces are.

“I always mention they can be game changer, so we have to use it as well, be very efficient in scoring goals, more efficient in creating chances from corners and free-kicks and always try to defend them well.”